Grand Haven's historic Civil War-era monument to receive major cleaning in time for summer dedication

The Grand Army of the Republic Weatherwax Post Monument located in the city's Lake Forest Cemetery, 1304 Lake Ave., will be restored to remove mold, mildew and a naturally occurring fungus called lichen that has accumulated over the years.Courtesy | Bruce Butgereit

GRAND
HAVEN, MI – A 123-year-old Civil War memorial located in Grand Haven will
receive some long overdue cleaning on Saturday, June 15 with the assistance of
volunteers and local organizations dedicated to preserving the nation's war
history.

The
Grand Army of the Republic Weatherwax Post Monument located in the city's Lake
Forest Cemetery, 1304 Lake Ave., will be restored to remove mold, mildew and
a naturally occurring fungus called lichen that has accumulated over the years.

For
more than a century, the memorial has stood as a silent sentinel in the Grand
Army of the Republic section of the cemetery and continues to be one of the
most recognized memorials in the
cemetery, said Bruce Butgereit, memorials officer for the Sons of Union
Veterans, Gen. John A. Logan Camp No. 1.

Butgereit
said he created a list of monuments that needed renovation in 2000 and the
Grand Haven monument was one of them. His camp is responsible for revamping
several monuments in Kent, Ottawa and Montcalm counties and the process has
been sluggish, he said.

"Honestly,
it's really coming together because of the interest that's coming from the
Loutit District Library and the Tri-Cities Historical Museum. Without their
support, we probably wouldn't be doing this," said Butgereit, who is also
executive director of History Remembered, Inc. of Grand Rapids.

The
monument's foundation and solider figure are made of limestone while the
middle section — the column on which the soldier stands — consists of gray white
marble.

Volunteers
will use a biological solution product designed for renewing headstones and
monuments to remove the debris, which has darkened the overall appearance of the
memorial.

"It
will look quite fresh when we're done on Saturday," Butgereit said. "The
product will continue to work for the next several months, so as the sun
shines, it will continue to get brighter and look more clean."

The
Saturday occasion isn't just about volunteering, he said.

"It's
also part of an educational initiative, so people are welcome to just watch and
to learn more about it," Butgereit said.

Butgereit
said he doesn't know much about the history of the structure. The only
historical record he could find about its origins came from a February 1880
newspaper article in the Muskegon Chronicle, he said.

According
to the Chronicle's records, the Grand Army of the Republic — the national
veterans organization created by Union Army soldiers and other military groups
to help their peers secure pensions and other resources — ordered the monument
from a Holland marble company.

The
local post who ordered the structure was named after Benjamin K. Weatherwax of
Georgetown Township in Allegan County and that's why the monument has its
Weatherwax title, Butgereit said.

Butgereit
said The Grand Haven Tribune's archives only go back to 1891 and stories in
subsequent editions during that decade reference the structure in stories about
Memorial Day services, which were traditionally held on May 30.

Butgereit
estimates that the monument was first dedicated in a Memorial Day service the
same year the Grand Army of the Republic
ordered it.

Next
month, on July 13, the Sons of Union Veterans will rededicate the monument in
honor of the Civil War Sesquicentennial. Staff from the Loutit Library Local
History Department and the Tri-Cities Historical Museum will lead a special
tour of graves of those soldiers who served at the Battle of Gettysburg in
1863.

Butgereit
said the Sons of Union Veterans had already planned the dedication before the
logistics for the clean-up came together, but now the monument will look suitable
for the event.

"The
timing is just perfect," Butgereit said.

Butgereit
recommends that interested volunteers wear old clothes. Gloves, brushes and sprayers
will be provided during the event, which will begin at 9 a.m. and should last
for an estimated six hours. For more
information, contact Bruce Butgereit at civil-war@comcast.net.